‘I could’ve saved myself a lot of heartache’

‘so little In common’

Tess Stimson, 47, is an author. She lives in London with her husband Erik, 47, and has three children.

It was the proposal every girl dreams of. As we sat sipping champagne watching the sunset, my boyfriend got down on one knee. Producing an exquisite ring, he said the words I longed to hear, ‘Will you marry me?’ I was certain we’d be together forever. Well, as certain as any girl can be when she’s only known her prospective bridegroom for four days! Our romance had been conducted at breakneck speed ever since I’d met Brent at my 24th birthday party in London. We talked until dawn, convinced we’d met our soulmates. The next day, we went away for a romantic weekend. We’d spent much of the next three days in bed. When we finally left the hotel to go shopping, he secretly bought the ring while I was browsing a bookstore. I had no hesitation in saying yes, even though we hadn’t even known each other a week. I told myself when you know, you know.

The wedding was all we talked about and the only problem was, after it was all over, I realised how little we had in common. I discovered Brent had no interest in books or art – two passions of mine. He also hated going to the theatre and we had very little to talk about. If only I’d taken the time to get to know him better I would have saved myself a lot of pain and heartache.